The disclosures herein relate generally to athletic and fitness development programs and more particularly to one or more methods, apparatuses and data processor program products capable of enabling administration of a levels-based athleticism development program.
Many people engage in fitness training routines with the intent and expectation of achieving and/or maintaining a desired level of athleticism. In some cases, such people are athletes who are no longer actively involved in a previous sport or sports. In other cases, such people are not athletes per se, but do have a competitive spirit generally associated with athleticism and have a desire to improve their level of fitness.
In each case, such people generally have a desire to both measure their progress against some defined standard and to assess the development of their fitness and athleticism among their peers in a competitive environment such that the results of their hard work are recognized. The assessment of their fitness and athletic development is a key motivating factor that positively reinforces their quest towards achieving and/or maintaining their desired level of athleticism and fitness.
Self-directed general fitness activities facilitated via a health club membership or home gym are a common approach for engaging in a fitness training routine. A facility such as a local health club or a home gym generally provides the equipment necessary to improve a person""s level of fitness. However, persons motivated by factors such as recognition of their hard work, competition among peers, assessment of their progress and often loose motivation as a result of the seemingly static measures and limited feedback offered by activities and routines associated with traditional fitness development programs and facilities.
It is not that the health clubs and home gyms do not provide the equipment or tools needed to develop an athletic level of fitness. But, the individual motivation and knowledge needed to develop and/or measure balance from an athleticism perspective is often lacking. Consequently, at least a portion of health club members engage personal trainers. However, even when the training equipment is available and the knowledge from personal trainers is available, limitations associated with quantitatively assessing their athletic development and physical fitness against a set of athletic fitness standards or against peers in a self-challenging and competitive environment still exists.
Research by American Sports Data, Inc. and The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) verifies that traditional fitness development programs suffer from several limitations with respect to developing a desired athleticism level, quantifying a desired level of fitness and/or athleticism, and motivating one towards their desired athleticism level. One limitation is that traditional fitness development programs are not based on standardized development levels for allowing comparative assessments between program subscribers or club members. Another limitation is that there is no standard manner for determining an attained level of fitness and/or athleticism. Yet another limitation is that there is no targeted and/or quantified feedback for leveraging a fitness routine in a manner that contributes to improving a level of athleticism.
Accordingly, an athleticism development program capable of being administered in a manner that overcomes the limitations associated with a traditional fitness and/or athleticism development program is useful.